July 2019
What kind of animal would you be and why?
Scott Carlson
The basic impact on me was I had to grow up a whole lot faster than I was. Like a lot of folks, I was that kind of guy going around with a head full of metaphysics and that didn't matter one diddly bit when it came to being a father! So I had to make a major change in lifestyle. And I’m actually the one who delivered the baby - the midwife didn't make it - so that was huge to me. I was right there, and the first one who saw her face. So, yeah it was very big. Beyond that, learning how to raise a kid and then becoming a granddad years later, it just fleshed out my life in ways I never would have guessed.
If I’d never had kids, my life would be nowhere near as fulfilled. I would’ve just gone on feeling satisfied with myself to some extent but not knowing what I was missing. It's hard to put into words because there's a whole depth of experience that comes into our lives when we're a parent. And of course it's different for a mother, but it's a huge impact for a father, too.
David Nelson
I wrote a song a while ago -
"I want to be what I want to be. A butterfly
on a balmy day, a river otter sliding in play,
on the banks of an ancient river before there
were men. That's where I want to be. Come
be a river otter with me!"
Jonathan Roux
I wouldn't say, "want to be" but I've always identified with the wolf. I've always seen myself as part of the Wolf clan, keeper of the sacred fire. So, I guess my spirit animal would be a Wolf, but I've had many gifts from many different animals.
Taleb Nelson
I, Taleb Nelson, would like to be a platypus because platypi are so eccentric and I feel like I'm an eccentric character myself. They lay eggs. I'm not saying I want to lay eggs, but..! (laughing) But,they have a barb on their toe and they can sting and they're just so different. That's kind of like the middle finger to the animal kingdom, and I feel it!
Vivia Lawson
In the Year of the Tiger, women are not considered to be marriageable because tigers are very opinionated and very forceful and strong and wonderful. So, I think it'd be pretty cool to be a tiger and I'm really happy that my lunar animal year, Chinese animal year, is Tiger.
Jane Kwan
Well, I’ve never thought how I would want to be an animal per say, but just thinking about that, that's an excellent question because birds are all over my paintings. So, over many years of painting, other than trying portraits and landscapes and this and that, this is a pretty constant theme in my doodling and my sketches, etc., and animal symbols do come out. I have had snakes and horses and stuff like that, but consistently it's been a bird figure. So whether I want to become a bird, maybe unconsciously. I never thought it out, "Oh, I want to do a bird or draw a bird." It just comes out from within, kind of a psychic process, a spiritual process, in expressing them that way. I looked up birds, and I thought maybe these are mythic birds, symbolism, in my work. And it's wonderful; it's very meaningful because mythic birds have that spiritual component of the link between heaven and earth. It's about freedom. It's about power. It's a good symbol. So, maybe unconsciously I want to be become that, through kind of an actualization process. We all seek that. We're all looking for the light. We want to fly and we want to be free!
Heather D’Alessio
I would be a goat because I wouldn't have to wear shoes, or clothes for that matter. And if I really like somebody and I didn't have the words to tell them, I could just pee on their feet. And if I didn't like them, well, I could show them what my horns were for! All I would have to do all day is stand around and eat and I wouldn't even have to chew my food. When I was bored, I could cough it up and chew it. I would definitely want to be a *wild* goat. Only problem is that my youth would only last about two years and I would be an old lady by the age of 10. The only other negative I could think of would be that my husband would be such a blubbering macho man and I would only find that attractive for about two minutes out of each year!
Sam Finnell
If I could be any animal, I would be a cat because I could just rule the world. I could poo on the floor and my owner would just let me stare into their eyes while they pick it up and I'd just laugh on the inside; just watch them struggle. That'd be pretty hilarious. And I think it'd be pretty funny to just knock things off of shelves and just be like, "Yep! Whadda you gonna do about it?!"